How To Keep Mice Out Of Camper

Summer is in full swing, and it's that time of the year when you want to take your family out on holiday in your belovedcamper. Besides getting it cleaned, there's the darned problem of mice. How to keep mice out of your camper, you wonder? Well, most camper owners have to deal with it almost every year.

You have a great camper that has given you amazing memories with your family. Now, mice aren't something you want to worry about when you plan for a summer holiday. But with a few important tips, you can keep mice out of your camper so you can get on the road and not have any rodents come in your way. You don’t want any of that nuisances during your holiday now, do you?

Whatever the size of your camper, you can't deny that maintaining one can be a pain. From cleaning it down to keeping the nasty smells away, there's a lot of work. Rodents and mice don't see the size of the camper; they only invade and make it as their home for the winter. If you don’t get rid of them, they will stay there during the summer too.

It is also imperative that you inspect your vehicle regularly so as not to find any dead mice or their traces in there. You can keep mice out of your camper by cleaning it from time to time. Wouldn’t you do that for your home? Well, your camper is your moving home where you and your family spend time during trips and other outdoor activities. Keeping it clean and clear of mice makes it a lot easier on you.

In this article, we provide few steps how to keep mice out of your camper. The article not only deals with keeping mice of your camper but also deals with rodents and other trouble makers away from the camper. Be sure to follow them, so your RV is not only free of mice but will also keep them from coming back and troubling you.

Finding out how do they creep into the camper?

Before fixing any problem, you need to know where the root of the problem is. You can find the right solutions to the problems once you know where they arise. Here we’ll talk about the various entry points from which these nasty rodents enter. There are several entry points you wouldn’t even be aware of.

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Open windows

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Gaps in and around the wiring

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Open spaces around the toilet area

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Corners with wide cracks

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Doors with gaps

These are only a few entry points to your camper for rodents and mice to get in. Any small gaps are enough to let in the creepy crawlies from outside. Check for these gaps all over your camper, so you know what gaps to fill and fix before you hit the road and even before you begin the cleaning process. It’s easy for these mice to get in and make it their home when your camper isn’t running, say during the winter.

What is the need to keep mice out of campers?

First off, they’re vehicles of diseases and all things unhygienic. There are several health implications if you don’t keep rodents and mice out of your camper. They carry the respiratory illness, Hantavirus. If you want to steer clear from such diseases, you will need to tidy up your camper. You don't want your family and yourself to spend time at the hospital now, do you? It's best to prevent any kind of terrible infections and diseases by keeping all sorts of pests and rodents away from your camper.

Who wants that rodent smell? It is disgusting and makes you want to vomit. Add to this their droppings, and you have a camper that no one wants to come inside. Keeping your camper clean should be a priority for you all through the year if you and your family are into outdoorsy travel and activities. If you clean it from time to time, the human activity and sounds itself are a way to keep the mice at bay.

If none of these resonates with you, how about losing your precious custom-made leather seats to a few of these rodents? That sounds bad, doesn't it? They can easily gnaw through beautiful leather and even eat it. If you do have real leather seats, you should be more careful not to leave the camper as it is and cover it during the winter.

How To Keep Mice Out Of Camper: 10 Best Effectively System

Let’s take a look at the tips and steps which can steer out mice and other rodents from your camper. Try the easier ones first and then the others that require some effort, time and money. If none of them works, get professional help to accomplish the objective. You don't want to wait around for the mice to leave on by themselves. That's not going to happen, and you'll waste your summer trying to get rid of them. These tips below are sufficient to help you keep mice out of your camper.

1. Blocking the entry points

We have mentioned the possible entry points for mice earlier in the article. Now, the next step for you is to block these entry points. If you don't have the time to fix the cracks and gaps, fill them yourself with mesh, steel wool, and spray foam. In doing so, you can keep the rodents at bay by letting them chew on it and not get past the barriers.

Use stainless steel mesh boards to block bigger openings so the mice can’t enter the camper. Of course, the other way is to get a professional to fix all the nooks and crannies where there are open spaces, which act as entry points for mice and rodents. It could cost you quite a bit, but it is also a great way of sealing all the openings in your camper.

2. No food in the camper

Another important factor that can bring mice into your camper is food. No, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat inside your camper. It only means you should clean up real well after eating. Don’t leave any leftovers or crumbs for unwanted guests. You’ll be surprised to find mice in a few minutes, even inside your food packets if you don’t seal the food and clean up. Not just food though, mice gnaw through many things like old clothes, crumpled paper, soap, coffee, etc. Be sure to keep them away and tightly locked someplace safe.

3. Lights to keep them away

A simple yet efficient manner to maintain mice out of camper is to put on some night-lights and check how these dreaded rodents find their temporary homes is because of darkness. When there’s no light and no movement, it makes it easy for them to settle down in your camper. Simply hang some lights out at night and which will keep them at bay. Rodents aren’t active when there’s light. They move in packs in the dark.

4. Using mice repellents

You can find many brands and products out there to help repel mice and rodents out of your camper. Some mice repellents come in tiny handy pouches that you can simply place at your camper’s doorstep and windows. You should also throw a few of these repellents in your cabinets, sink, and toilets, and even near the piping and wires where they chew it on their way. It is available in forms and is incredibly easy to use.

5. Trapping the mice

If you want to go for the old fashion mice trap, it is still a useful device, which can easily catch the mice. Leave the traps all over the camper, and that's one way to keep mice out of campers. You'll get them for cheap anyway, and they are incredibly easy to use. The only hiccup is that you will need to set them free far away from your camper. But that’s a small price to pay so you can enjoy your vehicle in peace during the summer.

6. Strong scents keep the mice away

Strong smells like peppermint oil and have known to keep all kinds of rodents away. Do this as an additional step to keep your camper clear of mice. Make sure you get peppermint oil and not extract. Extracts are using in food; oil is using for its scent. These scents are strong enough to rattle the mice. Something about peppermint makes them run away. Eucalyptus oil is also said to have similar properties. You try a combination of both.

7. Modern day ultrasonic mice repellents

Modern repellents are expensive than the conventional types. Many reputed brands with proven performance are selling ultrasonic mice repellents. Even though it is expensive, when checking its performance it is a good option to buy.

It emits irritating ultrasonic sounds which drive away the rodents and mice from the camper and stop it returning as long as the repellent is working. Another good thing is that it also emits light, which again helps to keep mice out of campers. With this, you won’t need to hang night-lights all over your camper. The light from the ultrasonic mice repellent would be enough to disturb their movements.

8. Keeping poison

Poisoning mice is another old yet effective way of keep mice out of campers. You can find many kinds of poison in the stores these days that work on rodents of any size. Using poison sprays are another easy way to keep the mice away. You will find it is very convenient to use since it can spray on corners and tough areas where it’s hard to reach by hand.

9. Fresh Cab pouches botanical rodent repellent

Botanical rodent repellents are a good solution to tackle mice out of campers. You can find many hot selling brands in the market both online and offline. The botanical rodents prepared from natural ingredients of plants and herbs. Its smell is very friendly for humans but has high repulsive characters against mice, which can effectively drive away mice out of campers. It is available in pouches, and you can leave it at all the entry points, bathrooms, sinks and other sensitive areas.

10. Check the camper out once in a while

It might seem like a little work, but instead of keeping your camper closed and covered while not in use, you can keep checking it every few days for rodents and other unwanted creepy crawlies. The sound and movement is also a way to keep mice out of campers. When they see humans busy in the camper, they move their business elsewhere. They don't like to be disturbed, you know.

Do and Don't things

1. Tips that might not work contrary to believe

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Dryer sheets

Dryer sheets seem to be one of the tips that people use to keep mice out of campers. However, it doesn’t necessarily work. From all the feedback you can read online, dryer sheets don’t seem to work. It is easy for mice and other rodents to tear through the sheets with their teeth. Some of them even use the sheets as nesting material.

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Urine

Don't gag. Many believe that urine (any kind) can effectively repel rodents. But that isn't really the case. The smell of urine only irritates human beings and not rodents. They can easily ignore the urine smell and make their way into the camper. It is definitely not recommended, and if you do try it, you'll face urine stench for the rest of the summer.

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Mothballs

Mothballs are effective on cockroaches and smaller crawling creatures and not bigger rodents like mice. They aren’t strong enough to keep the nasty invaders away, particularly from campers. Although, if you have huge slabs of mothballs you could place them too along with the other repellents to see if it works. A handful mothballs would not be strong enough to repel mice and other rodents for sure. It’s best to try the other repellents or use significant amounts of mothballs.

2. Try experimenting with the tips

The kind of damage these mice do isn’t little. As mentioned before they not only carry diseases with them, but they also destroy bits of your camper that might cost you well. All the plumbing and wiring that they gnaw through, all the nibbling of the wood and carpet, mattress with wear and tears, and so many other things that they easily sink their teeth into, can cost you dearly.

3. Apply multiple methods simultaneously

You can get on your strategy mode to keep mice out of your camper too. Don't try out just one of all the tips mentioned above. Try multiple of them together. Do you want to stop their invasion now, don't you? Going brute force on them is your only option. Steel wool and Fresh Cab pouches everywhere, night lights and the ultrasonic sounds together and of course, the peppermint oil.

Place all these things strategically, so it not only repels the mice but also keeps them away for a longer time. The idea is not just to clean them for one summer. You ideally don’t want them to return and create a mess again.

4. Pest controls give excellent result

If you thought mice were the only uninvited guests you need to get rid of, think about all the other smaller pests present in the camper. There would be many other creepy crawlies in your camper since you shut it for the winter. It would be a very good idea to get some pest control to get rid of the other insects and creatures giving the mice a company. Although, you can keep these creatures away from your camper by using basic pest repellents that are easily available in the markets these days.

5. Place a glue sheet

Even with all your effort if you find a couple of them sneak into your camper, don’t worry. Put some glue sheets around to trap them and toss them out in the wild. If you aren’t able to trap them that way, try the other tricks and you’ll be sure to get rid of them just in time for you to take the vehicle out on the road. The good thing is that a moving camper won’t invite such rodents!

Final thoughts

You’ll find a lot of traditional methods for how to keep mice out of a camper. But don't be afraid to try new and unconventional methods to achieve the same results. It's always an excellent idea to check for mice and other miscreants after the camper has been hibernating in the winter with covers and in the dark.

Chances of your camper infested with mice are higher when there's no human activity and even proper lighting or sound. So go on and pull out the covers and begin your inspection. Don't let any children running around the camper till you are sure there are no mice and other rodents on board.

The task repel mice out of camper can execute with reduced effort if you can troop your friends in the event if you don't have anyone in your family to give a lending hand. It can be a good experience if you can get rid of all the mice from your campers and keep it ready for the summer. Cleaning up a large vehicle can be time-consuming and quite the task sometimes. But with friends around you can do it with a little more ease and keep ready the camper out of mice.